Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 Upgrade

I know it's late in the game, but still need the answer so I don't have to go through this again...

 

Is there any way to actually retain your settings between an upgrade such as Windows 7 to Windows 8.1? I just got done making the upgrade and it said that it would retain my data. To me, that means that it will retain my settings as well, as that is data and it is stored in my Users folder.

 

Since this was obviously not the case, and poor wording yet again by Microsoft, how can I refrain from losing all of my data AND settings next time I have to reinstall or upgrade?

 

And I was also wondering, why can't you retain settings when you upgrade from 7 to 8? I could understand going from XP to 8 and not retaining settings, but if you can retain our data, you should be able to retain our settings and programs as well.

Esau79936,
 
Your February 11, 2014 question, "Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 Upgrade" has been marked as having been resolved.  I point this out because *you* were not the one to mark it as such.
 
I feel it is only right to follow up with you to find out *if* your issue is resolved and if the answer that was chosen by a forum moderator [Sharath Srinivasa in this case] was the solution you used?
 
If your solution was other than the marked response, please come back to your question (it'll be here indefinitely) and help those who might search and find your query in the future by providing the solution you did utilize.  If your solution was the marked response, please return to simply state that is what you did and that it resolved your issue - further helping the confidence level of those who might locate your question in the future that the marked "answer" is indeed correct.
 
In case you are unsure how to mark (or unmark answers chosen for you that are incorrectly marked) - here are instructions taken from the forum FAQs...
 
If the chosen answer isn't the one you would have chosen, you can go to the marked response and click Unmark as Answer.

 

If you posted the original question, you can mark the question as answered yourself (i.e. - choose your own "answer".) Just click the Mark as Answer button under the response(s) you felt is(are) entitled to it.

 

Whether or not you posted the original question, you can still mark any response(s) as "helpful."

 
Thanks!

An upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 (and then sequentially Windows 8.1 via the update) would keep all your files, settings, compatible installed applications, etc.
 
The process is fairly straightforward...
 
1. Backup!  Anything CAN go wrong at anytime.  This should not be extremely out of the ordinary for you and if it is, you may want to revise how you treat your computer data anyway.  It should mean just making an extra backup of your data and perhaps an image of your Windows 7 system to external media *just in case* something goes wrong.  If only you could make this sort of backup in every aspect of life, there would be less reasons to worry!  Don't know how to do this in Windows 7?  Read up: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/what-is-a-system-image
 
2. Get your upgrade media and product key (or purchase it online) and store a copy (COPY) in a safe place from this point forward.  Also, while you are at it, take note of your current Windows 7 product key (could be on a sticker on the machine or with the installation media if you purchased Windows 7 separately) and store that along with the COPY of your Windows 8/8.1 media and product key.  This is another safety 'catch all'.  You CAN create media (ISO image to DVD or USB stick) of Windows 8/8.1 if you purchased it online.  Suggested you do so!
 
3. Check the hardware manufacturer(s) web page(s) for all your products to make sure they have and you can get (go ahead and get them NOW and save them to your computer/external media) device drivers for all the components in and attached to your machine *for* Windows 8/8.1.  It is (always has been and should remain that way) the responsibility of the hardware and software manufacturers to supply compatibility for their products with any operating systems they want to.  If they support Windows 8/8.1, they should have drivers you can download or patches for their applications (if necessary) so their product(s) work for you properly under Windows 8/8.1.  However, remember nothing says they HAVE to support the new operating system at all.  It is your responsibility as the consumer to check and prepare for this change.
 
If you have a big vendor system (like a Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gatway, etc...) you can likely get all the internal component drivers from their support web page under their drivers and downloads section for your model system.  Otherwise you will have to go component by component (motherboard chipset, video card, audio card, network card, etc.)  Same goes for your external peripherals (webcams, printers, scanners, etc.) and all the software you have installed (office suites, image editors, email clients, internet browsers, etc.)
 
4. Perform the upgrade.  How you do this will depend on what media you have, etc.  Might start here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-from-windows-7-tutorial
 
5. Use the computer.  You can make a few changes if you don't like the Start Screen menu at first, etc.  There's some ways you can quickly and easily start using Windows 8/8.1 so it looks/feels more like 7 while you get used to the differences.